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PewDiePie
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg5 (/ˈʃɛlbɜːrɡ/ ''SHEL-burg'';6 Swedish: ²ɕɛlːˌbærj ( listen);7) born 24 October 1989), known online as PewDiePie (/ˈpjuːdipaɪ/ ''PEW-dee-py''), is a Swedish web-based comedian and video producer. He is known for his Let's Playcommentaries and vlogs, as well as his following on YouTube. Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, PewDiePie originally pursued a degree in industrial economics and technology management at Chalmers University of Technology. In 2010, during his time at the university, he registered a YouTube account under the name PewDiePie. The following year, he dropped out of Chalmers after becoming disinterested with his degree field, much to the dismay of his parents. After failing to earn an apprenticeship with an advertising agency in Scandinavia, he then decided to focus on creating content for his YouTube channel. In order to fund his videos, PewDiePie began selling prints of his Photoshop art projects and working at a hot dog stand. PewDiePie soon gathered a rapidly increasing online following, and in July 2012, his channel surpassed one million subscribers. Early on, PewDiePie was signed under the multi-channel network Machinima. After dissatisfaction with the network, he signed with Maker Studios, having his channel under Maker's sub-networks Polaris, and later, Revelmode. Throughout his time on YouTube, PewDiePie has produced content that has been praised as genuine and unfiltered, but also been received as abrasive, and in some cases, met with controversy. As a result of an early 2017 controversy regarding allegations of anti-Semitism in several of PewDiePie's videos, the Disney-operated Maker Studios ended their partnership with him, dropping him from their network. While he criticised the coverage of the situation and defended his content as jokes that were taken out of context, he conceded its offensiveness. Since 15 August 2013, PewDiePie has been the most subscribed user on YouTube, being surpassed for a total of 46 days in late 2013 by YouTube Spotlight channel. Holding the position since 22 December 2013, the channel has over 57 million subscribers as of November 2017.8 From 29 December 2014 to 14 February 2017, PewDiePie's channel held the distinction of being the most viewed of all time, and as of November 2017, the channel has received over 16 billion video views.8 PewDiePie refers to his fanbase as the "Bro Army", and individual fans as "bros". Through his Bro Army fanbase, PewDiePie has raised money for charities. Due to his popularity, PewDiePie's coverage of indie games has created an Oprah effect, boosting sales for titles he plays.9 In 2016, Time named him one of "The World's 100 Most Influential People".10 PewDiePie lives in Brighton with his girlfriend, Italian YouTube personality Marzia Bisognin. Early life and education Entrance to Chalmers University of Technology, which PewDiePie dropped out of PewDiePie was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden.11 He was born to Lotta Kristine Johanna (born 7 May 1958) and Ulf Christian Kjellberg (born 8 January 1957), and grew up with his sister Fanny.12 His mother, a former KappAhl CIO, was named the 2010 CIO of the Year in Sweden.12 His father is also a Chief Executive of another company.13 During his early schooling life, he was interested in art, and has detailed that he would draw popular video game characters such as Marioand Sonic the Hedgehog.14 During high school, he would skip classes to play video games at an Internet cafe with friends; on this topic, PewDiePie has commented, "Sweden has a great culture around gaming."14 In 2008, he graduated from Göteborgs Högre Samskola.15 He then went on to pursue a degree in industrial economics and technology management at Chalmers University of Technology, but left the university in 2011.16 On his decision, PewDiePie has stated, "Thinking about it now, it was utterly absurd. To get into Chalmers for industrial economics you need straight A's, but somehow I was happier selling hot dogs and making my own gaming-videos."13 While his reason for leaving Chalmers has often been reported as a want to focus on his YouTube career,17 in 2017, PewDiePie clarified, "Why does everyone get this story wrong? ... I dropped out of university because I didn't like it. To drop out of university to pursue YouTube, that'd just be fucking stupid."18 He added that "industrial management and economics was boring as hell ... and I couldn't relate to fucking anyone."18 PewDiePie has also shared that he "loved Photoshop", wanting to work on photo manipulation art using Adobe Photoshop rather than be in school.18 Relating to this passion, he entered Photoshop contests and almost earned an apprenticeship at "one of the best advertising agencies in Scandinavia."18 He was also interested in creating content on YouTube, and after not earning the apprenticeship, he sold limited edition prints of his Photoshopped images in order to purchase a computer to work on YouTube videos.18 Internet career YouTube channel format The main focus of PewDiePie's videos is his commentary and reactions to various games as he plays through them.1920 Due to this, his videos fall under the Let's Playumbrella.21 Unlike conventional walkthroughs, his Let's Play videos are devoted to "sharing gaming moments on YouTube with my bros".22 Variety details that "PewDiePie acts like he’s spending time with a friend. He begins each video introducing himself in a high-pitched, goofy voice, drawing out the vowels of his YouTube moniker, then delves into the videos."21 In his early years as a YouTube personality, PewDiePie was known for playing horror and action video games,192324 most notably Amnesia: The Dark Descent and its related mods.25 PewDiePie also began posting weekly vlogs starting from 2 September 2011.26 These vlogs are uploaded under the title of Fridays with PewDiePie.14 He typically performs a "Brofist" at the end of each of his videos.27 As his channel grew, he began to branch out in terms of his video content, uploading live-action and animated comedy shorts.14 In 2014, he began to more actively play games that interested him, regardless if they were of the horror genre or not.28 In addition, he is also known to support video games from indie developers.19 PewDiePie formerly put out videos with a high frequency, something he scaled down in 2014.29 By early 2017, he had uploaded almost 3,500 videos to his channel, around 400 of which have been made private.30 In March 2017, PewDiePie commented that his channel was running on a daily output, stating, "there's a lot of challenges in doing daily content, it's stupid. I really shouldn't be doing it, I really should just fucking go back and upload twice a week or some shit, and then take a step back, but I still really, really love the daily challenge—the daily grind—of just being like, 'hey, I'm gonna make a video today, no matter what.' And sometimes it really works, and sometimes it doesn't."31 During the early portion of his YouTube career, PewDiePie refused to hire any editor or outside assistance to help with his video output; stating, "I want YouTube to be YouTube."29In October 2014, however, while speaking to Rhett and Link on their Ear Biscuits podcast, PewDiePie expressed that he would seek an editor in 2015.32 In February 2017, PewDiePie stated in his My Response video, "I'm just a guy. It's literally just me. There's not a producer out there ... there's no writer, there's no camera guy."33 Style of content The nature of PewDiePie's video content has been described by various outlets as goofy, energetic, obnoxious and filled with profanity.34353637 However, many of the same outlets concede that PewDiePie's content is genuine and unfiltered.3637 Sarah Begley of Time said his clips contained "charismatic narration".38 Chris Reed of The Wall St. Cheat Sheet said it contained "off-the-cuff running commentary that's characterised by goofy jokes, profanity and loud outbursts."37 Walker wrote PewDiePie's "chosen mode of sharing his critique happens to be ribald entertainment, an unmediated stream of blurted jokes, startled yelps, goofy voices, politically incorrect comments and pretty much nonstop profanity."36 Reed adds that these aspects of PewDiePie's videos are what critics find most abrasive, but what fans love the most.37 PewDiePie resorts occasionally to gameplay, resulting in silent or emotional commentary;3637 his playthrough of The Last of Us, it was detailed, left the usually vocal gamer speechless at the ending.3739 In 2016, he examined his older videos and while noting the stylistic changes he had undergone, he expressed specific regret for his casual use of words like gay or retarded in a derogatory sense.40 In December 2016, Kotaku's Patricia Hernandez wrote about his stylistic changes, explaining that "over the last year, the PewDiePie channel has also had an underlying friction, as Kjellberg slowly distances himself from many of the things that made him famous. He's doing fewer Let's Plays of horror games like Amnesia," and adding, "the PewDiePie of 2016 can still be immature, sure, but ... a defining aspect of recent PewDiePie videos is existential angst, as he describes the bleak reality of making content for a machine he cannot fully control or understand."41 On the technical aspect of his videos, PewDiePie spoke about how his early videos would feature raw footage, although he later began to dedicate time to edit his videos.42 History Early years (2010–2012) PewDiePie originally registered a YouTube account under the name "Pewdie";1 he explains that "pew" represents the sound of lasers and "die" means death.43 After forgetting the password to this account, he then registered the "PewDiePie" YouTube channel on 29 April 2010.27 After he dropped out of Chalmers, his parents refused to support him,27 and as a result he funded his early videos by selling prints of his Photoshop art, as well as working at a hot dog stand.1844 On having to work at the stand, PewDiePie stated, "the fact that I could make videos was so much more important to me than that I had to spend a few hours a day doing a job that wasn’t that prestigious."44 Five years later, PewDiePie recalled, "I knew people were big at other types of videos, but there was no one big in gaming, and I didn’t know you could make money out of it. It was never like a career that I could just quit college to pursue. It was just something I loved to do. And here we are five years later and it’s exploded."44 By December 2011, PewDiePie's channel had around 60,000 subscribers.27 Around the time his channel earned 700,000 subscribers, PewDiePie spoke at Nonick Conference 2012.4546 On 11 July 2012, the channel reached 1 million subscribers,11 and it reached 2 million subscribers in September.19 In October, OpenSlate ranked the PewDiePie channel as the #1 YouTube channel.47 That December, PewDiePie signed with Maker Studios.27 Early in his YouTube career, PewDiePie used rape jokes in his videos.34 Criticism of these jokes stirred controversy, and in October 2012, he addressed the issue through a Tumblrpost, writing, "I just wanted to make clear that I'm no longer making rape jokes, as I mentioned before I'm not looking to hurt anyone and I apologise if it ever did."1348 The Globe and Mail stated "unlike many young gamers, he listened when fans and critics alike pointed out their harmful nature, and resolved to stop making rape jokes."34 Becoming the most subscribed user (2013) On 18 February 2013, the PewDiePie channel reached 5 million subscribers,27 and in April, PewDiePie earned coverage on The New York Times after surpassing 6 million subscribers.20 In May, at the inaugural Starcount Social Stars Awards in Singapore PewDiePie won the award for Swedish Social Star.49 Competing against Jenna Marbles, Smoshand Toby Turner,50 PewDiePie also won the award for Most Popular Social Show.51 In July 2013, he overtook Jenna Marbles to become the second most subscribed YouTube user,52 and reached 10 million subscribers.27 PewDiePie's subscriber count surpassed that of the leading channel, Smosh, on 15 August 2013.53 On becoming the most subscribed YouTube user, PewDiePie commented, "When I started my YouTube channel in 2010, I never imagined that one day it would be the most subscribed channel in the world and that I would be a part of such a great community."54 After becoming the most subscribed user, Ben Donovan of Maker Studios stated that PewDiePie "is a great example of how a YouTube content creator can amass a worldwide following due to passion and creativity, and his large subscriber base showcases the loyalty and strong connection he has to his 'bros.'"55 On 1 November, PewDiePie became the first channel to reach 15 million subscribers;56 the following day, the channel was surpassed by YouTube's Spotlight account at the top of the site's subscriber rankings.57 In the same month, PewDiePie proclaimed his dislike of YouTube's new comment system.58 In December, PewDiePie overtook the YouTube Spotlight channel to once again become the most subscribed user on YouTube.5960 Throughout 2012 and 2013, PewDiePie's channel was one of the fastest growing on YouTube, in terms of subscribers gained.61 In 2013, the PewDiePie channel went from 3.5 million to just under 19 million subscribers,62 and by the end of 2013, it was gaining a new subscriber every 1.037 seconds.63 Billboard reported that the PewDiePie channel gained more subscribers than any other channel in 2013.64 Additionally, in the second half of 2013, the PewDiePie channel earned just under 1.3 billion video views.65 Continued growth (2014–2015) In March 2014, PewDiePie updated his video production output, announcing he would be scaling down the frequency of uploads.29 In August 2014, Maker Studios released an official PewDiePie app for the iPhone, allowing audiences to view his videos, create custom favourite video feeds and share videos with others.66 Later in the month, PewDiePie uploaded a video, announcing he would permanently disable comments on his YouTube videos.67 On his decision, PewDiePie stated "I go to the comments and it's mainly spam, it's people self advertising, it's people trying to provoke... just all this stuff that to me, it doesn't mean anything. I don't care about it, I don't want to see it."68 After disabling comments, PewDiePie continued interacting with his audience through Twitter and Reddit.69 In mid-September, PewDiePie uploaded a follow-up video, sticking by his decision, and announcing the launch of broarmy.net, an online forum, in which he will actively connect with his viewers, designed to replace the YouTube comment section.70 In September 2014, PewDiePie began streaming videos of his co-hosted series, BroKen, onto MLG.tv.71 PewDiePie co-hosted the series with Kenneth Morrison, better known as CinnamonToastKen, also an online game commentator.72 On 13 October, PewDiePie decided to allow comments on his videos once more, albeit only after approval.7374However, PewDiePie has tweeted, "I have them set as approved so I can redirect people to comment on my website instead."7576 In a later video, PewDiePie claimed that disabling comments helped him become happier.77 In 2014 alone, PewDiePie's account amassed nearly 14 million new subscribers and over 4.1 billion video views; both figures were higher than any other user.7879 According to Social Blade, a website which tracks YouTube channel statistics, on 29 December 2014, the PewDiePie channel surpassed emimusic's video view count, at around 7.2 billion views, to become the most viewed channel on the website.8081 During July 2015, PewDiePie's videos were documented to receive over 300 million views per month.82 On 6 September, PewDiePie's YouTube account became the first to eclipse 10 billion video views.83 Later in the month, PewDiePie teased about having a role in a series, and that he was on location in Los Angeles for the show's shooting.84 Although not many details were revealed at the time, in October, it was announced that the series would be titled Scare PewDiePie.85 YouTube Red and style change (2016–2017) The Scare PewDiePie series was debuted on PewDiePie's channel in January 2016 through YouTube's paid subscription service, YouTube Red.85 In October, he announced that he would be going back to Los Angeles to record another season of Scare PewDiePie, and that he would be daily vlogging while he was away.86 Throughout 2016, PewDiePie's video style change became more apparent than the tweaks he implemented in the past (see above for more). As aforementioned, PewDiePie addressed his use of words such as gay as a pejorative, retrospectively expressing, "I still make kinda stupid jokes that I shouldn't make. But I feel like back then I didn't understand. I was so immature and I just thought things were funny just because they were offensive ... I'm not proud of it. I'm really not. But I'm also glad that I've grown past it."42 While continuing to produce fewer Let's Play videos about horror games, his style of humour also changed; PewDiePie commented in a December 2016 video, "I think the thing is that I have a lot of younger audience members, and I think my humour got drier, and they don't get it."41 On 20 October, PewDiePie jokingly launched a second channel, under the name Jack septiceye2.87 The name is derived from his friend and fellow YouTube video game commentator, Jacksepticeye.41 By December, Kotaku reported the Jack septiceye2 channel had garnered 1.4 million subscribers, despite having only one upload available to watch.41 Throughout late November and early December 2016, PewDiePie jokingly expressed his desires to delete his YouTube channel at 50 million subscribers.8889 On 2 December, he uploaded a video in which he discussed his frustration with the issue of YouTube accounts experiencing an unexplained loss of subscribers and views.89 PewDiePie expressed, "I find that a lot of people that work with YouTube, almost anyone, have no idea what it's like to work as a content creator, as someone who's built this for years and really cared about it."41 On this issue, a Google representative provided a comment to Ars Technica, detailing, "Some creators have expressed concerns around a drop in their subscriber numbers. We've done an extensive review and found there have been no decreases in creators subscriber numbers beyond what normally happens when viewers either unsubscribe from a creator's channel or when YouTube removes spammed subscribers."90 On 8 December, PewDiePie's channel reached 50 million subscribers, becoming the first YouTube channel to do so.91 After reaching the milestone, PewDiePie tweeted "will delete tomorrow 5pm gmt," in reference to his channel, before later uploading a celebratory video featuring fireworks.91 Ultimately, he did not delete his PewDiePie channel, and instead shut down the joke Jack septiceye2 channel, stating "You know when you make a joke and it just blows up way bigger than you'd imagined?"90 PewDiePie's stunt received negative reception from Fortune. The publication's Mathew Ingram opined, "this is just a temper tantrum by a man-baby who makes millions of dollars playing video games," adding, "at first glance, the video in which he threatens to delete his channel seems like the whining of a rich, entitled celebrity who has noticed that his videos aren’t getting as many views as they used to, and blames the platform for not supporting him as much as he thinks they should."92 On 18 December 2016, he received a Ruby Play Button from YouTube as a reward for hitting 50 million subscribers.93 On 10 December, PewDiePie released a video, titled "Can this video hit 1 million likes?" In the video, after watching various YouTubers ask to get a certain amount of likes on their videos, he jokingly begged viewers to help the video reach 1 million likes.94 The video currently has over 3.2 million likes, which ranks it as the 70th-most-liked video on YouTube, as well as the most liked non-music video on YouTube. On 24 December, he released a follow-up video, titled "Can this video get 1 million dislikes?"95 The content is almost the same as the one asking for likes, except that in this video, he asks the viewers to dislike the video instead. The video currently has over 2.8 million dislikes, placing it as the 3rd-most-disliked video on YouTube, and the most-disliked video that is neither a music video nor a trailer. On 28 January 2017, he uploaded another similarly-themed video, titled "Can this video get 1 million comments?"96 Within 2 days of its release, it amassed over 5.3 million comments, becoming the most commented video on YouTube.97 Also in January, PewDiePie detailed that his videos accumulated over 150,000 years of watchtime.98 On 14 February 2017, according to Social Blade, his channel's total video view count was surpassed by Indian record label T-Series at the top of the site's view rankings.99100 Also in March, PewDiePie made a video similar to that called, "Can this video get same likes and dislikes?" This video had 785,000 likes and dislikes at the time of this edit.101 Controversial videos, network drop and streaming (2017) In January 2017, PewDiePie began to receive criticism for his non-gaming videos. In one, he seemingly uses the word nigger,102 which caused #PewdiepieIsOverParty to trend worldwide on Twitter.103 A few days later, PewDiePie created further controversy, when he uploaded a video featuring him reviewing the website Fiverr, which allows people to sell a service for $5 USD. In the video, PewDiePie shows his reaction to a duo he had paid to display the message "DEATH TO ALL JEWS" on a sign,102104 as a joke and attempt to highlight the ridiculous things which can be provided as a paid service on the Internet.105 He immediately apologised within the same video stating, "I am sorry. I didn't think they would actually do it. I feel partially responsible," adding "I'm not anti-Semitic, ... so don't get the wrong idea. It was a funny meme, and I didn't think it would work, okay."102PewDiePie received criticism from some users in the video's comment section, as well as from some media outlets.102 As a result of this video, both PewDiePie and the duo were banned from Fiverr, prompting the latter to upload an apology video stating that they did not understand the meaning of the sign, and that they were sorry to all Jews.106 "I've made some jokes that people don't like. And you know what? If people don't like my jokes, I fully respect that. I fully understand that. I acknowledge that I took things too far, and that's something I definitely will keep in mind moving forward, but the reaction and the outrage has been nothing but insanity." A few weeks later, The Wall Street Journal reported on the incident, while also adding that since August 2016, PewDiePie has included anti-Semitic jokes or Nazi imagery in nine separate videos.107 The publication reported he removed three of the videos, including the January 2017 Fiverr one.107108 In a 12 February Tumblr post, PewDiePie expressed: "I am in no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes, ... I think of the content that I create as entertainment, and not a place for any serious political commentary," and conceded, "though this was not my intention, I understand that these jokes were ultimately offensive."105108 In his post, he also reiterated he does not support anti-Semitic groups.105 PewDiePie's motivation for his Tumblr post was partially driven by the fact that neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups and publications, such as The Daily Stormer, were referencing and praising PewDiePie for his jokes.33109 On 13 February, the Disney-owned Maker Studios multi-channel network cut its ties with PewDiePie because of the aforementioned controversy and the additional videos containing allegedly anti-Semitic jokes.108110 Maker stated that "although had created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate."110 Google also took action, dropping him from the Google Preferred advertising program, as well as cancelling the Scare PewDiePie YouTube Red series.111112 Various media journalists and outlets joined the Wall Street Journal in criticising PewDiePie.113114115 Kirsty Major of The Independent, Arwa Mahdawi of The Guardian and Ben Kuchera of Polygon, were all critical of PewDiePie's defense of his content as jokes taken out of context, opining that his content helps normalise ideologies such as fascism, neo-Nazism and white supremacy.113114115 Many in the YouTube community, including Ethan Klein of h3h3Productions, a Jewish YouTube sketch comedian, who is also friends with PewDiePie, as well as YouTube news commentator Philip DeFranco, and popular gamers Markiplier and Jacksepticeye, as well as many others, defended PewDiePie and criticised the way media handled the incident.116117 On 16 February, PewDiePie himself responded in a video entitled My Response, in which he apologised to those who were offended by his previous videos and which he also criticised the reporting by the media.33118119 He also states The Wall Street Journal framed his jokes as "posts" and took them out of context.120 One of the examples PewDiePie gives of this includes one of his vlogs, in which he expresses frustration at people creating swastikas in his Tuber Simulator video game.121122 In April 2017, while still continuing to upload new content onto YouTube, PewDiePie created Netglow, a channel on the livestreaming service Twitch.123 On Netglow, he started streaming Best Club, a weekly live stream show scheduled for Sunday at 4:00 p.m. GMT.123 Best Club premiered on 9 April.123 PewDiePie commented that his decision to create Netglow was in the works prior to the aforementioned allegations of anti-Semitic themes in his videos.123 On 11 April, Business Insider detailed that PewDiePie's first stream amassed around 60,000 viewers, and that Netglow has accumulated 93,000 subscribers to that point.124 As of 7 August 2017, there have been two episodes of the show.125 In September 2017, PewDiePie used the racial slur "nigger" while live-streaming PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.126 As a response to the incident, Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman referred to PewDiePie as "worse than a closeted racist", announced that Campo Santo would file copyright strikes against PewDiePie's videos featuring the studio's game Firewatch, and encouraged other game developers to do the same.127128 PewDiePie later uploaded a short video apologizing for the language he used during the live-stream, expressing "I'm not going to make any excuses to why it did because there are no excuses for it. I'm disappointed in myself because it seems like I've learned nothing from all these past controversies, the slur was not okay. I'm really sorry if I offended, hurt or disappointed anyone with all of this. Being in the position that I am, I should know better."129 Relationship with YouTube networks and programs As a result of Maker Studios dropping PewDiePie from their network over the aforementioned anti-Semitic controversy, PewDiePie is not signed to any multi-channel network(MCN).108 He was previously signed to Machinima prior to his partnership with Maker.130 PewDiePie expressed feeling neglected by the network, which operates as a rival to Maker.130 Feeling frustrated with how Machinima treated him, PewDiePie hired a lawyer to free him from his contract with the network.130 While under Maker, PewDiePie signed with the MCN's gaming sub-network, Polaris.131 Maker itself is a multi-channel network that drives the growth of the channels under it.22132133134 In October 2014, PewDiePie began hinting at the possibility that he might not renew his contract with Maker Studios upon its expiration in December 2014.135 Reports that covered this information also added that PewDiePie expressed his frustrations with the studio's parent company, Disney; PewDiePie was quoted saying, "The fact that Disney bought Maker Studios doesn't really change anything for me. If I ask for help, they reply, but that's all the contact we have. We'll see what happens."130 Rather than re-sign with Maker, PewDiePie has mulled the option of launching his own network, although he has declined to provide in-depth details on the subject.15136 However, in light of news outlets reporting his disinterest with Maker, PewDiePie tweeted, "I feel like I was misquoted in the WSJ and I'm really happy with the work that Maker has been doing for me."137 PewDiePie ultimately continued creating videos under Maker; his relationship with the network has seen Maker establish an official PewDiePie website, app, and online store to sell Bro Army merchandise, while PewDiePie promotes Maker's media interests and gives the network a share of his YouTube ad revenue.14 In early 2015, Nintendo launched its Creator Program, in order to share revenue with YouTube video creators who feature gameplay of their products in videos.138 PewDiePie joined various gamers in criticising the programme.139 PewDiePie called the program a "slap in the face to the YouTube channels that do focus on Nintendo games exclusively", adding, "The people who have helped and showed passion for Nintendo's community are the ones left in the dirt the most."139 Despite criticisms from PewDiePie and other gamers alike, Nintendo experienced more requests from YouTube creators than expected, causing an extension on the 72-hour wait time for video approval through the program.139Additionally, PewDiePie, stated, "I'll still play Nintendo games that I want to play on my channel as usual. I'm lucky to be in a situation where losing ad revenue on a few videos won't matter. However, many people on YouTube are not in that situation."140 Ultimately, the focal point of criticism is toward the approval of a video which Nintendo has to administer, and may be motivated by biased intentions.140 In January 2016, PewDiePie announced a partnership with Maker Studios to produce Revelmode, a sub-network of Maker, that would showcase PewDiePie and his friends on YouTube in original series.141 After the deal, the head of Maker Studios, Courtney Holt, stated, "we're thrilled to be doubling down with Felix."141 Along with PewDiePie, eight other YouTubers signed to the network upon its creation: CinnamonToastKen, Marzia, Dodger, Emma Blackery, Jacksepticeye, Jelly, Kwebbelkop, and Markiplier.141 Three YouTubers—Cryaotic, KickThePJ and Slogoman—would later join the sub-network after its launch.142143144 In March 2017, PewDiePie confirmed that Revelmode "doesn't exist anymore," in wake of the controversy surrounding the Wall Street Journal's allegations of anti-Semitism toward him.31 While announcing this, he also revealed that he worked on the company for about 3 or 4 years.31 Public image and influence Responses to PewDiePie's content are mixed; Anthony Taormina of Game Rant writes "It's no secret that as his popularity continues to grow, PewDiePie has become an increasingly divisive figure. While some love the YouTuber for the entertainment he provides, others see PewDiePie as the singular representation of our gameplay commentary obsessed culture."145 Chris Reed of The Wall St. Cheat Sheet commented on the divisive opinions about PewDiePie, stating, "PewDiePie is not universally adored ... the great divide in opinion on PewDiePie seems to be largely generational. Older people are less likely to subscribe to YouTube channels, or to pay much credence to YouTube personalities in general. Many younger viewers, on the other hand, see him as endlessly entertaining and relatable."37 His channel appeals strongly to younger viewers, a group Google refers to as Generation C for their habits of "creation, curation, connection and community".22146 According to a 2014 survey commissioned by Variety, PewDiePie along with a few other YouTube personalities have been reported to be more influential and popular than mainstream celebrities, such as Jennifer Lawrence, among US teenagers aged 13 through 18.147 His rise to fame has been used as "a great example of how the emerging society gives extensive opportunities to individuals with great ideas, courage, and, of course, a significant portion of luck as opposed to the old society."148 Studies of the gaming community on YouTube have shown that 95% of gamers engage in watching online videos related to gaming, which has been linked to be an important reason for PewDiePie's popularity.149 In 2015, PewDiePie was included on Time's list of the 30 most influential people on the Internet, cementing his influence as an internet personality.38 Later in 2015, PewDiePie was featured on the cover of Variety's "Famechangers" issue, with the magazine ranking him as the "#1 Famechanger", or "those whose influence stands head and shoulders above the rest".150 The following year, Time included him on their Time 100 list, with South Park co-creator Trey Parker writing in his entry, "I know it might seem weird, especially to those of us from an older generation, that people would spend so much time watching someone else play video games ... But I choose to see it as the birth of a new art form. And I don't think anyone should underestimate its most powerful artist."10 In June 2017, Forbes released a quarterly "Top Influencers" list, ranking PewDiePie at #2 in the Gaming gategory behind Markiplier.151 Forbes cited their reasoning for the ranking, writing, "PewDiePie's overall brand suffered earlier this year when he included anti-Semitic content in nine of his videos."152 Swedish columnist Lars Lindstrom commented positively about PewDiePie, stating, "that Felix Kjellberg has a comic talent is indisputable. It is both amazingly awful and amazingly funny when a father bikes around with his son in the game Happy Wheels and both get crushed and bloody again and again and PewDiePie improvises absurd comments as the game continues. The secret is that he really loves to play these games and that he has fun doing it."17 PewDiePie has also been received negatively by the media on some occasions, often being reported as an "inexplicable phenomenon."28 Andrew Wallenstein of Variety heavily criticised PewDiePie, following his channel becoming the most subscribed channel on YouTube, describing his videos as "aggressive stupidity" and "psycho babble."35 In September 2014, Rob Walker of Yahoo! called PewDiePie's popularity "insane", writing, that it "strikes me as considerably more curious — I mean, you know who Rihanna is, but would you recognise this kid if he were standing in line behind you at the bank?"36 Walker, among other reporters and some casual gamers, have questioned the reasons for his popularity,3637 while other reporters have criticised his rise in notability.35 Walker commented on PewDiePie's interaction with his audience, writing, "While he can be raucous and crude, it always comes across as genuine. He constantly addresses his audience as a bunch of peer-like friends, as opposed to distant, genuflecting fans. He's certainly more than willing to make fun of himself in the process."36 In 2015, The Verge wrote, "Love it or hate it, his success — like so many other YouTube personalities — isn't just in playing games but actually connecting and talking directly to an audience. No agent, press release, or any other intermediary. He just hit record."153 He refers to his fan base as the "Bro Army" and addresses his audience as "bros".154 On this, Walker wrote, "Profanity aside, it's a bummer that his persona includes constant references to his viewers as "bros," and that he's loose with words like "bitch" when his gaming adventures lead him into contact with female villain characters. Given how smart this guy clearly is when he speaks directly, I suspect he could modify his demeanor in a way that remained engaging to a young fan base but somehow contributed to improving gamer-land’s sometimes disturbingly bro-centric attitude."36 However, both Walker and Reed have commented on PewDiePie's intelligence, with Reed opining, "He's much more thoughtful and self-aware than he seems in many of his videos."37 Relating to his responsibility as a celebrity, PewDiePie has stated "many people see me as a friend they can chill with for 15 minutes a day", adding, "The loneliness in front of the computer screens brings us together. But I never set out to be a role model; I just want to invite them to come over to my place."15 Correlating with this note, his audience has been reported to provide positive remarks about him; some of his viewers created and contributed to a thread expressing that he has made them happier and feel better about themselves.28 Conversely, during an informal Twitter poll conducted by one Kotaku reporter, respondents described him as "annoying" and an "obnoxious waste of time."28Additionally, Rolling Stone has documented the existence of several Reddit threads dedicated to sharing disparaging views of PewDiePie.14 PewDiePie has himself claimed that he dislikes being called "famous", and has been reported to live a "shy and retiring life".13 In a Rolling Stone article, PewDiePie admitted to being shocked by his fame; PewDiePie recalled a gaming event near his hometown, stating "I remember there were five security guards yelling at a crowd to back up — it was out of control. It was shocking to find myself in that situation, where I was that celebrity person."14 At the 2013 Social Star Awards, PewDiePie greeted his fans personally despite security warning him against doing so.1155 PewDiePie also mentioned this event to Rolling Stone, stating, "I didn't even understand they were screaming for me at first."14 Influence on video games PewDiePie's commentaries have had a positive effect on sales of indie games.149156 For instance the developers of McPixel stated, "The largest force driving attention to McPixel''at that time were 'Let's Play' videos. Mostly by Jesse Cox and PewDiePie."157 PewDiePie has also been confirmed to have positively influenced the sales of ''Slender: The Eight Pages and Goat Simulator.1528 Although games being featured on PewDiePie's channel have reportedly contributed to their commercial success, he has stated, "I just want to play the games, not influence sales."158 PewDiePie, along with characters from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which PewDiePie renamed and made characters within his own commentaries were referenced to by a McPixel''level designed in his honour.159 Additionally, in the video game ''Surgeon Simulator 2013, the Alien Surgery stage features an organ called "Pewdsball" in honour of PewDiePie.160161 PewDiePie agreed to allow the developers of Surgeon Simulator 2013 to use his likeness in GOTY IDST, a showering simulation video game.162163 PewDiePie was also included as a NPC in the indie game, Party Hard.164 Income In June 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that PewDiePie earned $4 million in 2013;165166 PewDiePie confirmed on Reddit that the figures were roughly around what he actually earned.15 In July 2015, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that PewDiePie's production company, PewDie Productions AB, reported earnings of 63.7 million kr($7.5 million) in 2014.167168 The Guardian commented that the reason the media was so captivated by PewDiePie's earnings is that the topic "offers a rare insight into the money being made at the top end of YouTube stardom", adding "it’s very rare for any YouTube creator to talk about their earnings publicly, not least because YouTube itself does not encourage it".44 Although outlets agreed that PewDiePie's income was sizeable, and even "remarkable",169 PewDiePie appeared at the top of Forbes' October 2015 list of the richest YouTube stars with a reported $12 million earned in 2015.170 Relating to the earnings, Michael Thomsen of Forbes opined that "$7 million may well seem like an astronomical figure to a 25 year-old who just wants to make friends and play videogames, but it's a wildly insubstantial figure for the size of his audience and influence."171 On the topic of his earnings, PewDiePie stated that he is "extremely tired of talking about how much I make. In the very few interviews I've made, it doesn't matter how long we've talked to each other, the headline is still just about my paycheck."172 After extensive media coverage of his earnings, PewDiePie posted a video, expressing his frustration at the extensive media coverage over his income. In the video he claimed, "We did raise a million dollars for charity, and very few articles picked up on that, but here it is everywhere how much money I make", adding, "It seems like the whole world cares more about how much money I make than I do myself."173 Relating to his source of his income, PewDiePie stated: "I think that's what's cool about YouTube: That anyone could technically do it, right? Surely if I didn't exist, there would be someone to fill my place."174 In December 2016, Forbes named PewDiePie as the highest-earning YouTuber with his annual income reaching $15 million.175 This was up 20% from 2015, largely due to his YouTube Red series Scare PewDiePie and his book This Book Loves You, which sold over 112,000 copies according to Nielsen Bookscan.176 According to Forbes, PewDiePie's income dropped to $12 million in 2017, which made him the sixth highest-paid YouTuber during that year.177 Forbes commented that PewDiePie's income would have been higher had he avoided the pushback from advertisers resulting from the controversies surrounding his videos.178 Marketing campaigns Beginning in April 2014 and spanning into August, PewDiePie, along with his girlfriend Marzia Bisognin, began a marketing campaign for the Legendary Pictures film As Above, So Below.179180 PewDiePie's videos for the marketing campaign included a miniseries featuring him participating in the "Catacombs Challenge". The challenge involved PewDiePie searching for three keys in the catacombs to open a container holding "the Philosopher's stone".181 The couple's videos were able to earn nearly 20 million views.182 Maker Studios, which both PewDiePie and Bisognin are represented by, brokered the ad deal between the two and Legendary Pictures.181 In January 2015, Mountain Dew partnered with PewDiePie to launch a fan fiction contest, in which winning fan fictions will be animated into video formats and then uploaded onto his channel.183 In the same month, a quote from him was used by Techland on Dying Light posters.184 The quote, which read, "I love this game. It's sooo awesome!", spread controversy as it came from a seemingly advertorial video, featuring him playing Dying Light.185 In response to the issue, PewDiePie tweeted, "I love this game. It's soooo awesome! - IGN."186 When another Twitter user mentioned the issue, tagging PewDiePie in their tweet, he responded, "I dont even remember saying this."186 Despite these partnerships, PewDiePie maintains that he conducts very few promotions and works with few brands.15187 Additionally, PewDiePie posted on Reddit, "I make more than I need from YouTube", adding, "with that freedom, but also to respect my fans for making that possible, I don't end up doing many endorsements."188 On this topic, PewDiePie has claimed that it is disappointing when a large chunk of people misinterpret a component of his character; he states, "if I mention on Twitter that I find this or that Kickstarterproject cool, people immediately start to ask what economical interests I might have in it. Things like that can bring me down. But it's not personal; some people just prefer to believe the worst about others at any given time."15 Charities PewDiePie's popularity has allowed him to stir support for fundraising drives.189 In February 2012, PewDiePie ran for King of the Web, an online contest. He lost the overall title; however, he still became the "Gaming King of the Web" for the 1–15 February 2012 voting period.190 During the following voting period, PewDiePie won and donated his cash winnings to the World Wildlife Fund.191192 He has raised money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.19191 PewDiePie also began a "Water Campaign" charity, where his fans could donate money to Charity: Water, in celebration of reaching ten million subscribers.193 PewDiePie also contributed one dollar to the charity for every 500 views the video announcing the campaign accumulates, up to a maximum of $10,000.194 PewDiePie had the stated goal of raising US$250,000, at the end of the drive, the amount raised was $446,462.191195196 In June 2014, PewDiePie, announced that a fourth charity drive for "Save the Children" raised over $630,000, surpassing a $250,000 goal.197 In an interview with the Swedish magazine Icon, he has expressed desire to continue these drives as time goes on, and also credited John and Hank Green as two individuals who gave him the idea of making unique videos for charity.15 These videos are purchased by game manufacturers and advertisers, for prices ranging up to $50,000.15 In December 2016, he hosted "Cringemas", a livestream held across two days (9 and 10 December, both at around 6PM–10PM GMT), with other Revelmode creators.198 During the livestream, they helped raise money for RED, a charity committed to helping eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa.199 After the first day, the fundraiser raised over $200,000, after YouTube doubled their goal of $100,000, and at the end of the livestream, they had raised a total of over $1.3 million with help from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.200 Appearances in other media Aside from his own YouTube channel, PewDiePie has made appearances in the videos of other YouTube creators and series. In April 2013, he made a cameo in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History, portraying Mikhail Baryshnikov.201 In July 2013, PewDiePie starred alongside Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh, as well as Jenna Marbles, as guest judges on the second season of Internet Icon.202 PewDiePie has also appeared in YouTube's annual year-end Rewind series in each year since 2013.203204205206 In December 2014, PewDiePie guest starred in two episodes of the 18th season of South Park, one of his favourite series. The two episodes served as a two-part season finale. The first part, titled "#REHASH" aired on 3 December, while the second part, titled "#HappyHolograms", aired on 10 December.207208 In the episodes, he parodied himself and other Let's Play commentators, who added commentary over Call of Duty gameplay in an overly expressive way. In "#REHASH", the character Kyle wonders why his brother and his brother's friends favour watching others comment on events over experiencing events themselves.207 In July 2015, PewDiePie was announced as a voice actor in the Vimeo fantasy series, Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures.209 In October, PewDiePie appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.210 Other ventures On 24 September 2015, PewDiePie released his own video game PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist on iOS and Android. The game is developed by Canadian game developerOuterminds in collaboration with PewDiePie himself.211212 On 29 September 2016, he released another game developed by Outerminds, titled PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator.213 It was released as a free app on iOS and Android devices. The game focuses on getting enough subscribers to dethrone PewDiePie as the king of YouTube. The game reached the number one spot on the App Store within a few days of its release, while also experiencing its servers crashing due to its popularity.213 Penguin Group released PewDiePie's This Book Loves You, a parody of self-help books, on 20 October 2015.85 The book includes a collection of aphorisms, jokes, and wisdom, paired with visuals.214 Personal life Marzia Bisognin (pictured in 2014) and PewDiePie have been in a relationship since 2011 Kjellberg is originally from Sweden,5 but moved to Italy to live with his girlfriend, Marzia Bisognin.11 She is also a YouTube personality, formerly known on the website as CutiePieMarzia,13215 but now known as simply Marzia.216 The two were introduced to each other through a friend of Bisognin's in 2011, and after establishing an online friendship, Kjellberg flew to Italy to meet her.13 The two shuffled between Sweden and Italy, before settling in Brighton, Sussex, England.13217 Kjellberg moved to the UK in July 2013 for better Internet connectivity.218 Kjellberg admits that he enjoys living in Brighton, as he is able to live in general anonymity, adding that one of the reasons he has not moved to Los Angeles is, "Anytime I'm there, people are constantly patting you on the back, telling you how great you are. It fucks with your brain. I started YouTube because I was bored, not to become famous."27 In June 2016, Kjellberg announced he had been evicted from his recording studio after his landlord confronted him for being too loud.219 On 30 December 2016, he announced that he had been evicted once again, and that he had moved into Club Penguin's old UK office.220 Kjellberg has stated on his YouTube channel that he is an agnostic atheist.221